9.29.2010

Last Friday, we joined a happy flock of football fans in downtown Florence that were gathered for a festive pep rally to cheer on our local Lions! I graduated from The University of North Alabama in 2004, and although our Saturdays are usually devoted to the Alabama Crimson Tide, I'm always interested in cheering for the UNA lions. The three of us showed our lion pride that warm Friday, decked out in purple and gold. We enjoyed mingling through the crowd and listening to the marching band. Our two live African Lion mascots, Leo III and Una, were even on site for the pep rally, watching the fans from the comfort of their travelling trailer. Hudson didn't seem too interested in watching the two beautiful beasts as they lazed in their temporaray holding cages, but as always, he enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the crowd. He did seem to enjoy visiting with the furry Leo mascot, and as a special treat, he got his first photograph with Lions Head Coach, Terry Bowden, a legendary member of college football’s most famous coaching family. We loved teaching Hudson about showing his team spirit....now he just needs to attend a UNA game! Roar Lions!

9.23.2010

On August 20th, our dear friends Jim & Pamela welcomed their first little bundle of joy....baby Easton. He was born a few weeks prematurely, so he spent his first days at the NICU at Huntsville Hospital. We had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Hudson's little buddy, and had even thrown Jim & Pamela a baby shower, back in July. We are so happy that Easton is here, and that he is growing and thriving despite being born a bit early. He's a real cutie, too! Most of all, we can't wait to watch a true friendship develop between our two sweet boys who are almost exactly one year apart!

9.22.2010

9.21.2010

Last weekend we strolled down to the Florence Harbor to view a couple of floating pieces of history: the Nina and the Pinta....impressive historical replicas of the ships on which Columbus sailed across the Atlantic on his three voyages of discovery to the new world beginning in 1492. Absent from the Harbor was Columbus's third ship, the Santa Maria, which he notoriously never liked. The Santa Maria ran aground and sank early in his voyage, so naturally, the Santa Maria wasn't present in the Tennessee River last weekend because a replica was not created. Instead, there was a very unlikely ship docked right behind the Nina and Pinta....the Freedom Yacht, which belongs to one of our wealthier Florence citizens. It was quite ironic to see the two historic vessels that represented the very ships that aided in altering the course of Western history alongside a 141 foot luxury yacht of today. And also ironic? The fact that the bystanders and tourists were taking far more photographs of the shiny, white yacht than the the most historically accurate replica of a Columbus Ship ever built and the only touring maritime museum in operation.

9.20.2010

Each day with you becomes more and more fun. We are amazed at all of the things you have learned in just the past month since your 1st birthday. Your personality shines brighter every day, and you are simply a joy to be around.

You love music! Since you were born, music has always had a calming effect on you...you used to love to sit in your swing as a newborn, listening to the soft tinkling of music, whether it was from the song your swing played or from your favorite Baby Einstein Classical Music cd. These days, you love all kinds of music, but especially the uptempo! When you eat lunch in your highchair I sometimes play Michael Buble...and you have such a big smile when he croons over the swinging music. When you are playing with your toys and a song happens to come on the TV in the background, you will stop what you are doing and dance. You put your little arms to each side and twist from side to side. It's just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

This month, your hand-eye coordination has grown by leaps and bounds. You love to point your little finger at anything that interests you. You point at your toys and utter sounds so that we will pay attention to what you are trying to show us. You point at MaMa & DaDa, the dogs, and your bottle. You can point at specific items in books that we look at. You even point up your nose...ha ha! You have also gotten very good at clapping your sweet hands, and you do so whenever you are excited or proud of yourself. In the last few days you have also learned to "gimme five". You pick things up so easily, after we have shown you how only a few times.

Your favorite song for us to sing right now is Itsy Bitsy Spider. You love when we we say "Down came the rain", and perform the hand motion. You smile and laugh every time! You still love to hear the ABC's and to play Patty-Cake with MaMa. One day we were playing "Peek-a-Boo" by covering up your head with a blanket, asking "Where's Hudson?", then pulling the blanket down to reveal your smiley face and proclaiming "There he is!". You thought that was soo funny, so we played for quite a long time. After a while, we stopped pulling the blanket over your head, so you continued to do so yourself. You would cover up your little head, wait a second, then jerk the blanket off, smiling at us with your big, beautiful smile. You love to play!

Daddy has been taking you for daily rides in your Radio Flyer wagon since last month, and wagon rides have quickly become one of your favorite things to do. Sometimes he takes you for simple rides through the yard, and other times the three of us go for long walks through the neighborhood or around the park. You enjoy every second spent in your red wagon, and love to prop yourself up on both knees while you ride.

Shortly after your Rubber Ducky Party you added another word to your repertoire...."Duck." Your favorite book this month has been A Cuddle for Little Duck, and you love to visit the ducks at the park. You do quite a bit of jabbering, and I know it won't be long before you start to add many more words to your six word vocabulary: MaMa, DaDa, Bye Bye, No No, Tickle, and Duck. And it's worth noting you have started doing one very cute thing...whispering. Sometimes when Daddy is at work, I'll ask you "Where's DaDa?" You will look around the room, then turn to me with your big eyes and whisper "DaDa?" My heart just melts. It is as though you are astonished that you still know how to say the name of your #1 guy...so you repeat ever so quietly.

Your most important development this month is a big one. Drumroll, please.....You are officially WALKING! What a big boy! You have been able to walk behind your push toys for a couple of months now, but you have finally grown comfortable enough to take steps all by yourself. In just the past few days, you have increased your steps from 2 or 3, to walking all the way across the room. You walk everywhere around the house you can, until you topple over....then you crawl the rest of the way. We can't believe what a big boy you are. We are so very proud.

You are a true adventurer. We can't turn away from you for one second. You are all over the place, whether you are exploring, climbing onto the furniture, or slinking under the furniture. You have begun to pull the air vents out of the floor, and the other day we caught you just before you tossed my car keys deep inside the vent. You love to throw things out of containers, and then pick them up and put them back in, one by one. You are a truly inquisitive soul, and we love your sense of adventure.

We are having so much fun with you. You are growing into quite a little character and we can't wait to see what month 14 has in store.

9.17.2010

September 22nd marks the official beginning of fall! Since the season will change next Wednesday, I hope that you all will enjoy squeezing the last drops of summer goodness this weekend. I'll have no problem taking in the last bits of summer's dog days....it's still 90+ degrees here most afternoons, and I'm longing for cool breezes and crisp night air. Until next time, have a great weekend!

9.16.2010

SO Funny. I saw it a while back, and I couldn't help but imagine that a million moms out there could relate....myself included. That being said, I experienced a very embarrassing moment today....in fact, I was embarrassed about something that was no fault of my own. Continue reading at your own risk....

There I was, minding my own business in the parking lot of our horribly bland local shopping mall. Hudson and I had made a quick visit to the Gap, one of the only decent stores in said mall, to pick up some fall gear for the little guy. We had made our exit, and as you moms out there know, the worst part of any journey is 'entering and exiting the vehicle.' Not only must you keep up with all of the standard paraphernalia that is attached to your body at any time you are out....purse, car keys, sunglasses, etc., you must also keep track of all of the baby's various and sundry items....diaper bag, stroller, toys, bottles, etc. It's a wonder any mom is able to keep her head attached! But, I digress. There we were, loading ourselves and all of our goods into the SUV. I had just placed Hudson, ever so precariously, into his car seat which is strapped in to the middle section of the backseat. As you could imagine, I was standing there feet firmly on the pavement, bending over the left hand passengar's back seat grunting and groaning and stretching my arms to get Hudson safely buckled in. I was surrounded by shopping bags on my left and a stroller on my right. All of a sudden, approaching behind me I hear the rumble of a car engine. As it gets closer, I hear it rev up loudly, and I turn to glance in the direction of the noise....I'm always careful to be aware of my surroundings. There I see a black mustang barreling quickly down the aisle of the parking lot, coming closer with the booming sound of their stereo muted only by the roar of their motor. The windows are down, and I see that the car holds two teenage boys with shaggy hair blowing in the breeze. As they zoom past me, halfway contortioned into the back seat of the car wearing my baggiest boyfriend jeans, black tee, and Havianas, the driver pops his head out the window and yells....YELLS....over the roar of his engine: "Mama's got some A**". I thought I would die right there, with Hudson halfway strapped into his carseat, of utter embarrasment. Was it worse that a teenager had just called me MAMA? Eeeeew. I was a teenager just few short years ago! Or was it humiliating simply because any time a cat call has been uttered in my direction I have always wanted to crumple into a ball on the floor to save me from experiencing the feeling of objectification? Who knows. All I know is that the parking lot "shout out" was exasperating. I decided to never mention this moment again, as I glanced around the parking lot to see just how many mall patrons were witnesses to this terrible situation. But as I drove home, face still burning red with humiliation, I changed my mind....and resolved to share with Will the situation that had thrown me into such a tizzy. Bad Idea. Guess what he said to me all night between fits of laughter? "Mama's got some A**". How embarrasing.

So I don't drive a "Swagger Wagon" Mini-Van...but I'm a Mom, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Time to embrace this embarrasing situation...there's bound to be more. Besides, like the song says: I used to party as a college chick.....now I'm cruising to the playdates lookin' all slick. HA!

9.15.2010

After church on Sunday, we exited the Sanctuary after a wonderful sermon and walked across the street to Wilson Park to enjoy a lovely church-sponsored picnic. The sky was blue, the air was breezy, and it was a perfect day for fellowship in the park. There were grilled hot dogs and burgers, barbecue, and more varieties of cookies than I could count. The grass was filled with blankets and lawn chairs between the many inflatable slides and bounce houses that were scattered through the grounds. We brought Hudson's red wagon for the festivities, and it served as the perfect mode of transportation through the bustling park. Hudson enjoyed visiting with many of our fellow church members, and nabbing a bite of Dad's sugar cookie dessert! All was well until we attempted to place him in the toddler inflatable obstacle course....poor baby didn't want to stand in there with the other babies, and cried as soon as we tried to place him inside. But we had a great time at the picnic....and I'm sure it won't be long until we won't be able to get him out of the inflatables!

9.14.2010

The Alabama Crimson Tide celebrated another win on Saturday....cementing a 2-0 record for what looks to be another fabulous year for the team! Hudson has yet to see Bama lose a game! He was born shortly before football season began last year, and after an undefeated season and a National Championship title, the Tide seems to be on quite a roll! We enjoyed watching the game with our little Bama Boy and celebrating a wonderful win over Penn State.

{our little Bama Boy!}

{"Hey Dad, what time does the game start?"}

{"I can't wait to watch the team!"}

{Roll Tide!}

{"Time to get dressed yet?"}

{watching the game from his new favorite spot....he likes to climb on the couch all by himself.}